10/3/2016 List of governors­general of India ­ Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of governors­general of India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Regulating Act of 1773 created the office with the title of Governor­General of the Presidency of Fort
William, or Governor­General of Bengal to be appointed by the Court of Directors of the East India Company
(EIC). The Court of Directors assigned a Council of Four (based in India) to assist The Governor General, and
decision of council was binding on Governor General during 1773­1784.

The Saint Helena Act 1833 (or Government of India Act 1833) re­designated the office with the title of Governor­
General of India.

After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the company rule was brought to an end, and the British India along with
princely states came under the direct rule of the Crown. The Government of India Act 1858 created the office of
Secretary of State for India in 1858 to oversee the affairs of India, which was advised by a new Council of India
with 15 members (based in London). The existing Council of Four was formally renamed as the Council of
Governor General of India or Executive Council of India. The Council of India was later abolished by Government
of India Act 1935.

Following the adoption of the Government of India Act of 1858, the Governor­General as representing the Crown
became known as the Viceroy. The designation 'Viceroy', although it was most frequently used in ordinary
parlance, had no statutory authority, and was never employed by Parliament. Although the Proclamation of 1858
announcing the assumption of the government of India by the Crown referred to Lord Canning as "first Viceroy
and Governor­General", none of the Warrants appointing his successors referred to them as 'Viceroys', and the title,
which was frequently used in Warrants dealing with precedence and in public notifications, was basically one of
ceremony used in connection with the state and social functions of the Sovereign's representative. The Governor­
General continued to be the sole representative of the Crown, and the Government of India continued to be vested
in the Governor­General­in­Council.[1]

From the year 1858 onwards, the appointments of Governor­General of India were made by British Crown at the
advice of Secretary of State for India. The office of Governor­General continued to exist as a ceremonial post in
each of the new dominions until they adopted republican constitutions in 1950 and 1956 respectively.

List of Governors­General

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Name Took Left

# Picture Happenings Appointer
(birth–death) office office
Governors of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), 1773–1833

Regulating Act of 1773
20 1 Supreme Court at Calcutta
Warren Hastings
1 October February Asiatic Society of Bengal
(1732–1818)
1773 1785 English Translation of
Bhagwat Gita[2]

Sir John
1 12
Macpherson
2 February September
(acting)
1785 1786
(1745–1821)

Established lower courts and
appellate courts
Sanskrit College established
The Earl by Jonathan Duncan
12 28
Permanent Settlement in
3 Cornwallis[3] September October
Bihar and Bengal in 1793
(1738–1805) 1786 1793
Introduction of Cornwallis
Code
Introduction of Civil
Services in India

28
Sir John Shore 18 March Policy of Non­intervention
4 October
(1751–1834) 1798 Charter Act of 1793
1793

Sir Alured Clarke
18 March 18 May
5 (acting)
1798 1798
(1744–1832)

Introduction of Subsidiary
Alliance
The Earl of Fourth Anglo Mysore War
18 May 30 July 1799
6 Mornington [4]
1798 1805
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(1760–1842) Fort William College at
Calcutta
Formation of Madras
Presidency in 1801
East India
Company

The Marquess
30 July 5 October
7 Cornwallis
1805 1805
(1738–1805)
Sir George Barlow,
10
Bt 31 July * Sepoy mutiny at Vellore took
8 October
(acting) 1807 place during his tenure
1805
(1762–1847)

The Lord Minto 31 July 4 October

9 Charter Act of 1813
(1751–1814) 1807 1813

Ended the policy of Non­
The Earl of Moira intervention
Third Anglo­Maratha War
[5] 4 October 9 January (1816­1818)
10
1813 1823 Creation of Bombay
(1754–1826)
Presidency in 1818
Establishment of Ryotwari
System in Madras

John Adam
9 January 1 August
11 (acting)
1823 1823
(1779–1825)

The Lord Amherst[6] 1 August 13 March

12
(1773–1857) 1823 1828

William Butterworth
Bayley 13 March 4 July
13
(acting) 1828 1828
(1782–1860)

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Lord William
4 July Bengal Sati Regulation, 1829
14 Bentinck 1833
1828 Charter Act 1833
(1774–1839)

Governors­General of India, 1833–1858

Lord William
20 March
14 Bentinck 1833
1835
(1774–1839)

Sir Charles
Metcalfe, Bt 20 March 4 March
15
(acting) 1835 1836
(1785–1846)

The Lord 28
4 March
16 Auckland[7] February
1836
(1784–1849) 1842

The Lord 28
17 Ellenborough February June 1844
(1790–1871) 1842

William Wilberforce East India
Bird 23 July Company
18 June 1844
(acting) 1844
(1784–1857)

Sir Henry 12
23 July
19 Hardinge[8] 1844
January
(1785–1856) 1848

Doctrine of Lapse
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Charles Wood Dispatch
The Earl of 12 28 1st Railway line connecting
20 Dalhousie[9] January February Bombay and Thane
(1812–1860) 1848 1856 Post Office Act, 1854
Established Public Works
Department
Engineering College was
established at Roorkee

University of Bombay,
Calcutta and Madras were set
up in 1857
The Viscount 28 1
The revolt of 1857
21 Canning February November
The Government of India
(1812–1862) 1856 1858
Act, 1858
Hindu Widows' Remarriage
Act, 1856
Governors­General and Viceroys of India, 1858–1947

The Viscount 1
21 March
21 Canning[10] November
1862
(1812–1862) 1858

20
The Earl of Elgin 21 March
22 November
(1811–1863) 1862
1863

Sir Robert Napier 21 2
23 (acting) November December
(1810–1890) 1863 1863

Sir William Denison 2 12
24 (acting) December January
(1804–1871) 1863 1864

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25 Sir John Lawrence, 12 12
Bt January January
(1811–1879) 1864 1869

12 8
The Earl of Mayo
26 January February
(1822–1872)
1869 1872

Sir John Strachey 9 23
27 (acting) February February
(1823–1907) 1872 1872

The Lord Napier 24
3 May
28 (acting) February Victoria
1872
(1819–1898) 1872

The Lord
3 May 12 April
29 Northbrook
1872 1876
(1826–1904)

The Lord Lytton 12 April 8 June

30
(1831–1891) 1876 1880

The Marquess of 13 First Factory Act(1881)
8 June Repeal of the Vernacular
31 Ripon 1880 December
(1827–1909) 1884 Press Act (1882)
Ilbert Bill Controversy

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13 10
The Earl of Dufferin
32 December December
(1826–1902)
1884 1888

The Marquess of 10 11
33 Lansdowne December October
(1845–1927) 1888 1894

11
The Earl of Elgin 6 January
34 October
(1849–1917) 1899
1894

The Lord Curzon of 18
6 January
35 Kedleston[11] 1899
November
(1859–1925) 1905

18 23
The Earl of Minto Edward
36 November November
(1845–1914) VII
1905 1910

The Lord Hardinge 23
4 April
37 of Penshurst November
1916
(1858–1944) 1910

The Lord 4 April 2 April

38 Chelmsford 1916 1921
(1868–1933)

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The Earl of Reading 2 April 3 April

39 George V
(1860–1935) 1921 1926

The Lord Irwin 3 April 18 April

40
(1881–1959) 1926 1931

The Earl of
18 April 18 April
41 Willingdon
1931 1936
(1866–1941)

The Marquess of
18 April 1 October Edward
42 Linlithgow
1936 1943 VIII
(1887–1952)

The Viscount 21
1 October
43 Wavell February
1943
(1883–1950) 1947

George VI

The Viscount
21
Mountbatten of 15 August
44 February
Burma 1947
1947
(1900–1979)

Governors­General of the Dominion of India, 1947–1950

The Viscount
Mountbatten of
15 August 21 June
44 Burma[12] 1947 1948
(1900–1979)

George VI
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26
C. Rajagopalachari 21 June
45 January
(1878–1972) 1948
1950

See also
Council of India
Secretary of State for India
List of Presidents of India

Footnotes
1. Imperial Gazetteer of India, Clarendon Press, Oxford, New Edition 1909, vol 4, p. 16.
2. Clarke, John James (1 January 1997). Oriental Enlightenment: The Encounter Between Asian and Western Thought.
Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415133753.
3. Created Marquess Cornwallis in 1792.
4. Created Marquess Wellesley in 1799.
5. Created Marquess of Hastings in 1816
6. Created Earl Amherst in 1826.
7. Created Earl of Auckland in 1839.
8. Created Viscount Hardinge in 1846.
9. Created Marquess of Dalhousie in 1849.
10. Created Earl Canning in 1859.
11. The Lord Ampthill was acting Governor­General in 1904
12. Created Earl Mountbatten of Burma on 28 October 1947.

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